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About the Book

About the Book

True Grit tells the story of Mattie Ross, who is just 14 when the coward Tom Chaney shoots down her father in Forth Smith, Arkansas and robs him of his life, his horse and $150 in cash. Determined to avenge the killing, Mattie enlists the help of Rooster Cogburn, the meanest available U.S. Marshal and pursues the killer into Indian Territory. As Mattie outdickers and outmaneuvers the hard-bitten types in her path, her vitality and resourcefulness amuse, impress and touch the reader. What happens --- to Mattie, to the gang of outlaw unfortunate enough to tangle with her, to Rooster and the swaggering Texas Ranger LeBoeuf --- rings with the dramatic rightness of legend. An instant bestseller and critical success upon its first publication and the basis for two Academy Award-winning films, TRUE GRIT is an American classic through and through.

“Like Twain, Portis respects his young narrator as a human being with a fully developed moral sensibility, even when the adults in the novel don’t.” --- Los Angeles Times

“...an epic and a legend. Mattie Ross should soon join the pantheon of America’s legendary figures such as Kit Carson, Wyatt Earp, and Jesse James.” --- The Washington Post

“Mattie, she’s driven, determined. This character is about getting the job done.” --- Hailee Steinfeld

“True Grit is best known as a movie . . . But Charles Portis’s novel is even better. It’s a dark coming-of-age tale told in the deceptively innocent voice of a 14-year-old frontier girl.” --- NPR

The Young Readers Edition includes the complete text of TRUE GRIT, Afterword by Leonard S. Marcus, and Readers Guide/Discussion Questions.